Creating a logo seems like a simple process to many. By combining a couple of elements that are unambiguously associated with the brand or by using various software and applications, a design solution for the logo can be obtained. Things are a bit more complicated than that though. Of course, you can create a logo in the application or with just a few clicks, but the quality of the creation differs drastically if an experienced designer dedicates himself to it. In this text, we are not dealing with highlighting all the important aspects of a good logo, but we want to share how our process of creating a logo went (and let’s brag a little, to be honest) for the Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Environmental Protection at PMF in Novi Sad on the occasion 60 years of their existence.
In April, we met with the professors of the Department, and they expressed their desire to change their existing logo. There was already a tendency towards this change and 60 years of existence seemed like the perfect occasion for change. After the meeting, one thing was crystal clear: the new logo must explicitly communicate the multidisciplinarity fostered by the Department in the form of the application of chemistry in various fields, such as biochemistry and environmental protection.
And the fun begins.
Using the mind-mapping method, we connected all the information we received from the client, connecting key concepts and creating associations with them. The first element we took into consideration is color. As colors have a strong psychological impact on the human brain and emotions, we wanted to keep the “trust” and tradition of the Department. We, therefore, decided to keep the existing blue color. So, our new solution will be monochromatic. This means that we use one color but have variations in hue and saturation. The root of the values and all spheres of the Department lies in the chemistry and chemical equations, but speaking visually only about chemistry was not enough. A synonym for environmental protection is pollution, but so is nature. The leaf symbol seemed appropriate. For biochemistry, the choice came down to the DNA chain, while Erlenmeyer took the metaphor for chemistry.
It’s amazing how visual beings we are and what can be born from observing words, colors, and shapes. By crossing concepts, we made various combinations of elements and from a large number of sketches, we filtered the best solutions.
Anyone who has ever created a logo knows that pen and paper are your best friends in the process. All sketches and conceptual representations are sketched on sheets of paper (better to say in the entire notebook), then digitized and drawn with the Pen Tool in Adobe Illustrator. The result is as follows:
The professors are very satisfied and the new logo shone on the promotional materials of this year’s festive celebration on the occasion of the Department’s 60th anniversary. We think it is necessary to say that this is not a solution that was worked on for 3 days. Creating a logo that will be impressive and express the brand it represents takes time, will, and creativity.
Now that you know how we do it, contact us if we can help you too. 🙂
